Help/advice for my wife.

[morganb4]

My wife is 5'8 with a (at most) 31.5" inseam. Her bike, a large Marin Bobcat trail which I got for her birthday a long time ago is, I believe too large (my mistake). The frame is marked as 20.5" but the top of the seat tube is closer to 24". The standover height is about 33.5". In shoes she says she can standover it just fine but I can see the top tube is very much in contact. However she says its fine and has had some nice rides on it.

She will be pulling one of our children in a trailer. I feel like this is all a huge accident waiting to happen and that she isnt taking me seriously about it.

Does she need a new bike/frame? Am I overeacting? Any input from ladies ridding oversized bikes would be good.

Thanks.
Ben

 

[MrsH]

Just upgraded from a too large bike to one that fits..
Cannot tell you how good it is to ride and how much difference a good fit makes.
The ability to move the bike around makes such a difference, I've not crashed this one yet!!

 

[morganb4]

^ Thanks.
Can you quantify that at all, do you feel safer on the smaller bike? Are you saying that you felt that the larger bike caused more crashes?

Thanks
Ben

 

[Norco Maniac]

i've got the medium Norco Manik, 21.5" top tube. i'm 5'3" and can barely straddle the top tube. i'd personally use a much smaller bike if i was towing a kiddie trailer, because the dismount on the Manik gets a bit awkward....yes, i've stacked a couple of times. it's a bit unwieldy....

 

[morganb4]

Thanks. Dismount information useful re kiddie trailer. I went out with a girl in UK who had stitches down there due to hitting the top tube which is probably colouring the way I see the problem.

Thanks, really grateful for responses.

 

[JP]

My other half is 5'7ish and rides a small Trance for trail and a small giant hardtail for commuting/towing the kids. She did try to use one of my bikes but said it was like steering a sluggish truck. It made steering, turning, everything more difficult. No accidents were had but it was only a matter of time before one happened. She definitely prefers the smaller frame that fits.

Get a smaller frame. Don't even tell her, just do it. Beth was riding a farkin huge Shogun Prarie Breaker when we first met. It was even too big for me but she loved it. A small size Giant in blue was the ticket. She sold the Shogun the next day and 15 years later still has the Giant.

 

[0psi]

+ 1 to JP. My missus is 165cm and rides a small. She 'fits' on my large and a med would probably be ideal but she's just so much more confident on the small (when she actually gets around to riding it )

 

[hach_bee]

If you're attaching a kiddy trailer to the bike, definitely get a smaller one. In roadie style bikes, its not a problem to have to lay the bike over a bit to get on/off, but if there's a trailer attached, she won't be able to.

 

[morganb4]

Thanks to advice, help and suggestions from all here. She is now down at LBS getting fitted for a 16" Trance.

And we got it. '09 Trance X3, was old stock so its in almost mint condition with 12 months warranty and a years free servicing.

Good job because the rear brake is effed....